Crunch time for bill authorizing Fernald land deal in Waltham

Waltham's state delegation is pushing, with urgency, a piece of legislation regarding the Fernald land that is up against the clock on Beacon Hill.

Eli Sherman Waltham News Tribune

Waltham’s state delegation is pushing, with urgency, a piece of legislation regarding the Fernald land that is up against the clock on Beacon Hill.

With the Legislature’s formal session winding down, lawmakers from around the state are trying to capture the limelight from their colleagues to ensure personally championed laws are approved. Impending state elections – and a new gubernatorial administration on the horizon – will undoubtedly shake things up, making very little guaranteed for the next legislative session.

Reps. John Lawn, D-Watertown, and Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, along with Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and Sen. Michael Barrett, D-Lexington, are making their final drives to ensure the Fernald bill (H 4252) gets the attention it needs to receive approval.

The bill would authorize the city and state to cut a deal transferring ownership of the nearly 200-acre parcel of land off Trapelo Road to the city.

The Fernald land is home to the oldest state-run institution in the country for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. In 2001, it was home to more than 300 people, but there are now just a couple of residents living at the center, which is down from 13 in 2013. A Fernald Use Committee will give and receive recommendations on what should be done with the land.

The bill, however, faces another challenge in that it must be passed with a roll call vote, which cannot happen after the formal session that’s slated to end next Thursday.

“We’re trying to get this done as quick as possible,” Lawn said Wednesday afternoon.

Waltham officials have been eyeing the Fernald land for more than a decade and jumped at the opportunity earlier this year when the state offered it up for $3.7 million.

After City Council approved the deal in May, the next piece of the puzzle was handed off to the state delegation, which is putting all hands on deck to make sure it gets approved before House Speaker Robert DeLeo calls an end to the session.

“We don’t anticipate a lot of opposition,” Stanley said. “It’s just a matter of there being a lot of competition in terms of what bills get the attention of the [two legislative] branches.”

Stanley, Lawn and McCarthy testified before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Wednesday morning, making their case for why the bill should keep moving.

“We explained our support for it and wanted to give the committee an opportunity to ask any questions it might have,” Lawn said.

McCarthy could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The joint committee passed the bill out and onto the Ways and Means Committee Wednesday evening, according to Lawn.

The Watertown lawmaker, who represents a large portion of the Fernald land, said he hopes Ways and Means will pass the bill out to the House for a final vote Tuesday.

Lawmakers will not meet in formal session on Friday or Monday, so the bill will need to pass the House and Senate, and return back to the House to be engrossed within just four more full-session days.

Barrett, who represents the land on the Senate side, is worried about timing, but says he thinks they’ll be OK.

“I’m concerned. Things are tight and some worthwhile [bills] die on the cutting room floor and some make their way through fine,” Barrett said Wednesday evening. “It looks pretty good, but time is of the essence and this is going to be hit or miss.”

Barrett is optimistic, however, that if the bill makes its way through the House, he’ll be able to get the Senate’s attention to pass it. The bill’s final destination, if it makes it in time, will be Gov. Deval Patrick’s desk for final approval.

“I’m thinking the chances are good,” Barrett said. “It’s better than 50-50, but not better than 70-30.”

Eli Sherman can be reached at 781-398-8004 or esherman@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.